Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 November 2014
358. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position regarding repair works at Rosses Point, County Sligo; when a decision on provision of funding for these repair works will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41900/14]
View answerThe Government Decision of 11 February 2014 allocated total funding of up to €69.5 million for clean-up, repair and restoration works in relation to public infrastructure that was damaged in the period 13th December 2013 to 6 January 2014. Of this sum of €69.5 million, up to €19.6 million was allocated for the repair of existing coastal protection and flood defence structures. The allocation of €19.6m was based on submissions made by the local authorities concerned to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (D/EC&LG) at the request of that Department.
The D/EC&LG wrote to Councils notifying them of their allocations under the Government decision and, in this regard, Sligo County Council was informed that, based on its submission and estimate of repair costs, up to €1,200 was being made available for the repair of damaged coastal protection infrastructure in that county.
Sligo County Council submitted a number of applications for funding to the OPW following the January and February storms and the Government decision of 11 February. These included two applications in the sum of €50,000 and €25,000 for repairs to beach access ramps at Rosses Point North beach and Rosses Point South beach respectively arising from damage caused in the storm of 1 February. An application was also submitted by the Council for funding of €675,000 for works to construct a new coastal protection scheme at Rosses Point North beach.
The applications in relation to the repairs of damaged access ramps to the Rosses Point beaches fall outside of the scope of the specific funding allocation provided by the Government Decision of 11 February in that they were not included as repair costs in the Council's submission to the D/EC&LG and, consequently, were not included in that Department's notified allocation for repair funding to the Council following the Government decision. Also, funding for the repair of access ramps to the beaches is not a matter for the OPW as such ramps are not coastal protection or flood defence structures. They would fall into the category of beach amenity infrastructure and funding for the repair of these would more properly rest within the remit of the D/EC&LG or the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
The application for funding for proposed works in relation to a significant new coastal protection scheme at Rosses Point North beach also falls outside of the scope of the Government decision of 11 February as this related to repairs of damaged infrastructure only and did not apply to new works.
